Dirt Candy
Vegetarian restaurant · Lower East Side ·
Inventive vegetarian dishes & cocktails in stylish, airy surrounds
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69211453/1313757129.0.jpg "Dirt Candy by Noam Galai/Getty Images")
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:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22473893/1311243428.jpg "Dirt Candy by Noam Galai/Getty Images")
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Inventive vegetarian dishes & cocktails in stylish, airy surrounds
"Vegetarian and sustainability‑recognized with a retained green star, it held onto one Michelin star." - Melissa McCart
"I’ve followed Amanda Cohen’s restaurant since it opened in 2008 and now find it thriving on Allen Street after moving from an 18-seat East Village sliver; it’s the city’s only Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant. The five-course tasting menu (vegetarian by default and easily made vegan) changes quarterly and balances elevated technique with a playful spirit: expect items like tomato twinkies filled with smoked feta, corn crepes with seaweed caviar and eggplant oysters, and even a miso-glazed eggplant mousse served in a chocolate shell — yes, vegetables in dessert — all serious food that doesn’t take itself too seriously." - Kyle Beechey
"Most tasting-menu restaurants don’t easily accommodate vegan diners—and that’s partly what makes Dirt Candy on the Lower East Side so unique. At this spacious restaurant with white brick walls, the seasonal offerings include things like a portobello mousse croissant served with a mushroom cappuccino, and almost all of the dishes can be made vegan. The $110 tasting menu comes with five courses, and the price includes gratuity." - bryan kim, kenny yang, will hartman
"Open since 2008, this influential vegetarian spot is still making fun, colorful, and sometimes downright wacky food. The five courses served at Dirt Candy—and additional small "gifts" throughout the evening—are a good budget alternative to Eleven Madison Park for a meat-free celebration, especially considering the no-tipping policy. Not everything is a hit, but dishes like a palm-sized carrot pizza, or a potato ice cream sundae inspired by Wendy’s fries and Frosty always entertain. A vegan version is available on request, and the wine pairing is $55." - bryan kim, willa moore, will hartman, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah
"Open since 2008, this influential vegetarian spot proved that veggies could be fun—and not just fun, but inventive, playful, and possibly even deep fried. Now on the Lower East Side, Dirt Candy serves a $110 five-course tasting that’s a good value for an upscale, meat-free special occasion, especially considering the house no-tipping policy. The menu changes seasonally, but you might be greeted with a tin of briny seaweed caviar, then sent on your way with a savory-sweet jimmy nardello pepper pâte de fruit, glittering with basil sugar." - molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, neha talreja, kenny yang